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Zohakuten remembers how he was about to hit his drum, intending on finally finishing that Hashira woman off before he suddenly began to crumble away. The last thing he saw was the shocked expression on the Hashira’s face before everything faded into darkness.
After a few moments, Zohakuten slowly opens his eyes again. He looked around and realized his drums were gone. His wooden dragons were gone. Everything had disappeared.
This made him grow slightly panicked, and he began to frantically search for his older siblings. What happened? Where was grandpa? Did they really... lose?
Zohakuten noticed that everyone was a bit farther up. But they didn't seem to notice him yet.
They were bickering.
He went over to them, looking up with an expression of surprise and concern. He was used to seeing them bicker, but... everyone seemed to have turned on Sekido completely.
"This is all your fault!"
Sekido turned his head to Urogi, a scowl on his face.
"What? How the hell is this my fault?!"
"You absorbed us without even saying anything again! Even when Aizetsu was about to say it wasn't a good idea, you still did it. You're the reason we all lost!"
Karaku goes next to Urogi, rubbing his back to calm him down. "Urogi... it's, it's okay. Please calm down."
The demon shook his head. "No!!! It's not fair! A-And Sekido's trying to blame us for it...! He always does!"
Zohakuten's small hand went to cling to Karaku's side, and the older looked down at him in surprise. "Zohakuten..." She rubbed her baby brother's head, pulling him close to comfort him.
Aizetsu also steps in between his siblings, looking at Sekido with an expression he never had seen before.
At this point... Sekido feels like everyone has turned on him.
"...Are you all serious? You're going to blame me for why we lost?! I didn't— We had no fucking choice but to fuse! Did you see how-"
He's suddenly cut off by Aizetsu punching him hard in the face, knocking him to the floor. This caused the other clones to gasp in shock.
Sekido groaned, struggling to get back up as he held his nose in pain and screamed. "W-what the FUCK Aizetsu?!!"
Aizetsu continues to glare down at him, and he was about to do it again before Karaku pulled onto his hand.
"Ai- j..just don't." She said softly, looking at Aizetsu with a frown.
Aizetsu continued to look down at Sekido as he spoke. "You have the nerve to try and blame all of us, but the moment you decided to do that, we had no choice. We were doomed to fucking fail as soon as Sekido acted on his own."
His words are harsh. And they pierce Sekido through his heart. How could his little brother say those things about him, after everything he had done to protect them all?
"I.. I was trying to protect everyone!! You know that-"
"Aww. And you did a wonderful job. Now we lost, and we're all gonna burn right here in hell."
As Zohakuten watched his two brothers argue, he felt his eyes watering. His chest suddenly felt heavy and he began to breathe harder. His fists clenched into the sides of his clothing as he looked down to his feet.
Was it his fault they lost? After all, Sekido absorbed everyone to form him. It was his responsibility. They were all counting on him, Hantengu was counting on him. And he was always able to do a good job, but.. this time, he failed...?
Aizetsu was the first to notice Zohakuten cry, and he gasped. His expression softened immediately as he went to crouch down in front of Zohakuten.
"Zoha..." Aizetsu's heart broke seeing his baby brother like this. He rubs his tears away and held his face gently into his hands. The others grew quiet as they got closer to Zohakuten as well, all looking at him with worry and sadness. They shouldn't have been yelling at each other like that, not when Zohakuten had also been carrying this burden on his shoulders.
The smaller clone sniffled, and his tears just couldn't stop.
"I- I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I wasn't strong enough..."
Zohakuten had rarely spoke. His expressions and actions did most of the talking for him. So to hear his voice so broken and sad, it hurt his older sibling's deeply. They all immediately forgot what they were even bickering about, beginning to circle around Zohakuten and comfort him.
Aizetsu shushes him softly, rubbing his back. "Shhh, no Zohakuten. It isn't your fault... it was never your fault."
Urogi leaned down close, smiling reassuringly at him and speaking. "You're the strongest out of all us Zozo..! So don't say that! Without you we wouldn't have been able to even make it!"
Karaku leaned down and kissed his head. "You did a good job, you did what you were supposed to... you protected grandpa. You always have."
Sekido looked at him quietly for a moment; feeling so guilty and disgusted with himself. This entire time, he didn't even think about how Zohakuten would have felt about it. He didn't realize how much he probably was putting onto his baby brother.
Zohakuten was different. Even if he was the strongest of them all, he’s still a child. He deserves to be seen as one.
"It's not your fault Zohakuten. You are so much stronger than all of us. Than me. You did everything you could. And you didn't even ask to be brought out, it was me. I put that onto you... all of it. And i'm sorry."
As Sekido spoke, he felt himself tearing up looking down to his baby brother. Even after everything Zohakuten continued to look up at him with that same expression of admiration. The admiration he had for his oldest brother, which wasn't like anything he had for the others.
Zohakuten wiped a few of his tears away with the heel of his hand, before he stepped closer to Sekido and wrapped his arms around him. "I.. It's not your fault either aniki." He reassures, pressing his face into Sekido's chest.
Sekido froze up for a moment, before he started to cry and hug him back. He pressed his face into Zohakuten's hair, continuing to say repeated sorry's over and over.
The rest of the siblings had wrapped around the two and hugged each other close. They were all crying. Upset, and so frustrated that they lost.
"It's not fair..." Zohakuten had said. "Why'd we have to lose this time?" Aizetsu felt sad at his words but smiled gently. He found it cute that Zohakuten was acting his age here, throwing a small fit.
"That's just what happens Zoha.. nothing is ever fair. But even if we lost, we're all together… We'll be okay as long as we have each other."
Zohakuten sniffled as he looked up at all his older siblings that were looking down at him. Even though they had tears in their eyes, and they were equally just as upset as he was, they all had gentle smiles on their faces and looked at him with so much love. In the end it didn't matter that they'd lost. Because they all still have each other.
The younger one began to smile, and he nodded his head. "Mm.."
As all of them continued to hug, fire began to spread all around them. But it didn't matter. They’ll be okay. As long as they have each other.